Keeping up with the Joneses... Lee & Cathy Jones, that is, and their dog and five cuddly cats.

Monday, August 04, 2008

Update - Al's stable?!?

I was writing an email to friends, family and fellow believers. I had said this:

Al is a godly man that has served as a pastor for some 18 years. He asked me to come be his successor. I was working on the idea of getting a transfer to Georgia. It seems we ran out of time. Cathy and I just spoke with him on Thursday for, I don't know, one hour? Al was quit convinced that he was recovering from his lung problem from before and then this...

Then WOAH! It is 12:55 AM and I was writing this when I got a call from Sandra, Al's wife. Al's in intensive care observation, but he woke up and started arguing with the orderlies! and responded to their tests and commands (lift your left hand, etc). He was fighting too much so they sedated him again.

They had turned down the sedatives to bring his blood pressure up to prepare for surgery, but he woke up instead and started fighting. The medical staff says he is strong, and, well, nobody expected this. Surgery looked like the only way to save his life, yet suddenly he is stablizing!

Sandra is on her way home as the doctor told her he was (amazingly) out of danger and no surgery was planned, though they would watch for 24 hours before moving him into a regular room. He still has bleeding but they don't think surgery will be necessary. It doesn't make sense, people are amazed, and we are thankful!

Please give thanks to God, and keep praying for his recovery. We still need to make plans on making our way to Georgia as this is the second time that Cathy thought her dad was going to die and God has spared him. We want Cathy to have time with her dad, so she's going to take a leave of absence and go East. I'll go with her initially and fly back.